Machine for manufacturing slide fasteners



arch 12, 1946. N. STERN 2,396,447

I MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS Filed July 25, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR NuRmH/v 5 TE'RN ATTORNEY N. STERN March 12, 1946.

MACHINE 'FOR MANUFACTURING'SLIDE FASTENERS v 1 Filed July 25, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MWE N mm Mn M 1m H A Z 05. NW q.

MAQHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS Filed July 25, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FLUIJ INVENTOR Nu/Pmn/v STE N %MMM ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS (Cl. 1 9852r) 2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the art of the manufacture of slide fasteners, generally known as zippers, in which a pair of tapes or stringers have securely affixed thereon in spaced relation a plurality of slide fastener elements, which, upon manipulation of a slider element, are adapted to be detachably engaged or disengaged by the head portions of the slide fastener elements nesting within each other in an alternate series.

Among the objects of the present invention lies the provision of novel feed screw or roller and adjustable fastener element feed chute construction by virtue of which the speed of feed may beconsiderably increased and the tendency of damage to slide fastener elements. or undesired throwing out of the slide fastener elements therefrom is considerably reduced and may for practical purposes be said to have beeneliminated. Another advantage of the present novel feed screw or roller and adjustable feed chute construction lies in the fact that they are capable of considerably longer wear and much longer continued operation without cleaning or adjustment than prior art feed screws or rollers, even when made of the identical material.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a material part hereof, similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view as seen from the left side of the machine, the front of the machine being disposed toward the right of said figure. In this figure, the slide fastener elements shown as well as the left feed screw are disproportionately exaggerated'for purposes of clarity, and the stringer tape is not shown 7 for a similar reason.

Figures 2 to 5 inclusive are enlarged'plan views of the right hand feed screw in different stages of rotation.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical elevational view as might be seen from the plane l6-I'6' on Figure 5 if the hammer operating arms were removed.

Figure 7 is an enlarged developed view of the right hand feed screw roller.

Turning now to Figure 1, the machine 30 comprises generally the main chassis 31, the magazine supporting frame 32, the feed screw roller 35, a vertical slide fastener element gravity feed channel 36, and a channel tape guide 31.

The main chassis 3| may take the form of a suitable rectangular housing having a top plate 38, a right side wall 39, a rear wall 46', a front wall 4i, and a bottom wall 42. The bottom wall maybe supported in proper position by means of legs 43.

The magazine supporting frame 32 includesa vertical plate 44 which is supported in position by means of the integral curved bracket extension 45,. the bracket 45' is secured to the upper surface of the top plate 38. Rotatably sup ported in the upper portionof the plate 44 is the magazine 34 which comprises a; hopper'46. The hopper 46 is adapted'to be rotated'by means of the belt 41 and the electric motor 48'. Themotor 48 is mounted upon a bracket or platform 49 extending rearwardly from the plate 44. The hopper and element inverting means 46 may be of well known construction, and will, therefore, not be described in detail.

The vertical slide fastener element gravity feed channel 36 is suitably mounted, as for example, by means of the bolt and double nut structure 50'. The channel 36' includes a rear channel member 51' and a forward plane member 52. The ,rear channel member has a shallow forwardly ,p'o'sitioned groove of a width slightly greater than posed of suitable transparent material such as methyl methacrylate and is spaced forwardly from the trough in the rear channel member 5| a' distance slightly greater than the greatest thickness of a slide fastener element.

While only one of the :bolt and double nuts 50 is shown it will be understood another one (not shown) is disposed at the left side of the channel 36; g

The lower end of the vertical slide fastener element channel 36 is adjustably mounted so that saidchannel may be adjusted in position forwardly or rearwardly of the machine 30. This adjustment may be accomplished by an adjustable clamp support- (not shown) which straddles the feed screws or by means of the lower end gravity channel adjuster 54. 4

The adjuster 54 may take any suitable form for moving the lower end of the channel 36 forwardly or rearwardly' and positively fixing the same in any adjusted position. The elongated channel 36 is, of course, slightly flexible to permit its limited movement. The form of adjuster drive casing 33', a magazine 34, a magazine drive 55 shown in Figure 1 may comprise a threaded boss The slide fastener elements, generally indicated by numeral 60, are delivered by the hopper 46 into the channel 36 with the head 6| thereof downward. The smooth flow of the elements downwardly in the channel 36 is facilitated by constant vibration of the channel suppl by the. electrically operated vibrators 56 and 51. vibrators may be similar to the type used in the These (section 0). The angle of the grooves 91 in section C is relatively small, only equal to the thickness of one thread 96, providing a rearward movement of the element 60 by that amount. At all points in the screw 86 except the unused thread starting point 98 the thread 98 is of equal thickness, and at least equal to the spacing between the elements 68 on the taut tape.

In the transfer portion 95 the grooves 91 are straight through 180 degrees (sections D and A) and are angularly disposed through the remaining 180 degrees (sections B and C). It is while between the transfer portions 95 and 95' that the elements 69 supported from below by the support 99 (Figs. 1 and 6) which projects upwardly from -the topplate 38, are advanced into spaced positions and the tape19 is put between their legs by ordinary oscillatory electric bell and are energized by an electrical circuit not shown. Variation in the voltage as well as the characteristics of the vibrators will result in a different amplitude of vibration in the channel 36 so that the same may be adjusted as desired.

Turning now to the feed screws 85 and 86 and the mechanism for driving the same, and since the screws 85 and 86 are substantially identical with the exception that 85 is principally a left hand thread and 86 is principally a right hand thread, a description of screw 86 will suffice for both and certain parts of screw 85 are given sinly primed corresponding reference characters;

As seen in Figure 1, the hollow feed screw 85 is detachably mounted upon the rear end of a shaft 81 by means of set screws (not shown) and is adapted for rotation with said shaft. The shaft 81 is journalled in the front wall 88 and rear wall 89 of the feed screw or roller drive casing 33. The shaft 81 has fixedly mounted thereon a spiral gear (not shown) which meshes with the spiral gear 90 on the vertical shaft 9| which is journalled in the top and bottom walls of the casing 33. The shaft 9| has a gear 92 afiixed thereon and derives movement from the gear I14 through the gear 93 which is rotatably mounted in an opening in the front wall 4|. A shaft 81 (Fig. 6) carries a special gear (not shown) similar to gear 90 which meshes with the spiral gear on the shaft 9 I. As viewed from above the feed, screws 85 and 86 rotate toward each other (Fig. 6) in timed relation so that they make one revolution with each closing movement of the arms I45, and a corresponding arm rearwardly thereof on Figure 1 (not shown), and each advancement of the ratchet wheel 204 one notch. This movement of the parts constitutes a single slide fastener element attaching cycle.

For the purpose of clarity in description, the screw 86 has the periphery thereof arbitrarily divided into foursections of 90 degrees each indicated in the drawings as A, B, C, and D. The feed screw 86 has a receiving portion 94 and a transfer portion 95. The screw 86 has a plurality of acme type thread convolutions hereinafter referred to as the threads 96, and the spaces between them as thread grooves 91. The grooves 91 are equal to or slightly greater in width than the thickness of an element leg 62 while the ribs or threads 96 are equal to the distance between the elements on the tape when the tape is in a stretched condition under normal operating tension.

In the receiving portion 94 the grooves 91 are straight through 2'70 degrees (sections D, A, and B) and are angularly disposed through 90 degrees the guides H2.

Elements 68 may leave the lower end of the vertical slide fastener element gravity feed channel 96 (Fig. 1) and upon suitable adjustment of the adjuster 54, enter any one of the grooves 91 at the entrance area I00 (Fig. '1).

In accordance with the present improved construction instead of only one groove into which an element can fall from the channel 36, there are many. By reason of the fact that the threads 96 in the section 94 are all of uniform thickness, as also are the grooves 91, and by reason of the fact that the grooves are three-quarters of the circle straight and one-quarter helical, the element 60 drops from the channel 36 into the particular groove 91 as it passes under the bottom end of the channel 36 in any particular adjusted position thereof, and the element is moved horizontally rearwardly at the precise instant necessary to allow the immediately following element to clear the part of the thread 96 in the portion 94 in section C and fall into the groove 91 in the section D immediately following. The elements are not marked or nicked by the feed screws and no matter at what point of rotation the machine and hence the feed screws stop, the next element 60 cannot crowd the first element already in the groove 91 and none of the elements becomes turned or twisted.

When a new screw 86 is put into the machine the lowerend of the channel 36 is positioned over the forwardmost groove 91 in the portion 94 and after the thread 96 thereat becomes worn, it becomes necessary only to move the lower end of the channel rearwardly to have the elements enter the next rearwardly adjacent groove.

The portion 95 is of known construction, being straight through half the circle and helical through the remaining half. It is to be noted, however, that the transition from the portion 94 to the portion 95 is gradual and smooth and in even fast operation does not throw out the slide fastener elements. Since the thread 96 is of uniform thickness at all points but one, the strength of my improved feed screw is greater because at that one point the thread is thicker rather than thinner than the normal size.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a machine fo the manufacture of slide fasteners: a feed screw having a receiving portion with a helical groove presenting along a longitudinally disposed line on the s rface of said screw a plurality of separate spaced grooves; and a slide fastener element feed channel movable in position with relation to said separate spaced grooves, said slide fastener element feed channel being movable through a distance equal to the distance between the edge of one groove and the corresponding edge of a next adjacent groove.

2. In a machine for the manufacture of slide fasteners: a feed screw having a receiving portion with a helical groove presenting along a 1ongitudinally disposed lin on the surface of said screw a plurality of separate spaced grooves; and a slide fastener element feed channel movable in position with relation to said separate spaced grooves, said slide fastener element feed channel being shiftable through a distance at least as great as the distance between the edge of one groove and the corresponding edge of a next adjacent groove; and means to shift said channel. NORMAN STERN. 

